Selangod

SG

There was once a small world of abundant life. It was a world covered with thousands of miles of rarely interrupted jungle. Hot and humid was this planet of plants, and wretched too – most frightening for anyone that would ever live there.

This world was unique in that its plant life fed on its animal life, instead of the other way around. Few species of animal survived the hunger of the plants, and none of them thrived. There was no safe place for animals to live except upon rocky hillsides or mountains where they maintained only the most barren existences. The world was never intended for human life.

Yet, the gods seldom work with the best of intentions. Thousands of years ago, the gods placed a group of humans atop a stony clearing in the midst of the never-ending jungle. And against odds that settlement grew, albeit with succor from the gods. The people learned how to survive within their dangerous surroundings while the gods competed against each other. Intrigued by these new creatures, the gods generously gave gifts of knowledge and sustenance to the humans. Finally, an animal life-form was prospering on this most hostile of worlds.

Yet humanity’s relationship with the gods is never satisfactory in perpetuity. The gods tired of their creation. Attempts were even made by the powerful plant-goddess Ninhursag to destroy the fledgling population, yet the humans were always saved by the inclinations of other gods. For several generations humanity fluctuated wildly in its numbers, being either bludgeoned or fortified by these divine powers. Throughout it all the plants maintained their ever-consistent vigil. Humanity could easily have perished and perhaps it would have been the best thing, for the suffering they endured. Unfair or violent behavior from the gods, heinously pugnacious plant life, undesirable living conditions – even the weather – set the bar for human potential quite low. Nevertheless, the people exist. They endlessly struggle against the plants to build something they can call their own. The humans call this world “Ki.”